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wwPDB anticipates four character PDB accession code (PDB ID) will be consumed by 2028. With the continuous growth of PDB archive, wwPDB has revised PDB accession code by extending its length and prepending "PDB" (e.g., "1abc" will become "pdb_00001abc"). This process will enable text mining detection of PDB entries in the published literature and allow for more informative and transparent delivery of revised data files.
When four character PDB IDs are consumed, entries with extended PDB IDs issued are not compatible with PDB format. wwPDB encourages scientific journals, PDB community and users to transition to PDBx/mmCIF format and adopt new PDB ID format as earlier as possible.
Learn more at wwpdb.org/documentation/new-format-for-pdb-ids
